Timing of Recent Rains a Problem

It seems like much of the southeastern U.S. went through a drought for months. Now, the very same area has seen nothing but rain for days.

While it appears the drought is gone, the quick downpour may have its consequences.

John Baxter of the National Weather Service put the rain we've received into perspective.

"We've had measurable rainfall for thirteen straight days. The amount that's fallen over that period of time is about seven and a half inches," Baxter said.

According to the National Weather Service, our area was at a forty percent deficit of annual rainfall at the beginning of September. In just weeks the amount of rain received has painted a new picture.

"Well, since then we're now only running about four and a half percent behind. So we have, essentially, completely gained all of the rainfall we had missed in the early part of the year," said Baxter.

Baxter said he believes the drought is over for at least east Mississippi and officials are hoping for Atlanta to recover, which has had really serious drought.

The widespread rain has almost made up for the shortage in the recent past. The timing just wasn't all that great.

"This is the time for the farmers to be getting ready to gather their crops. If this rain continues, it's going to prohibit that and also the possibility of infield spoilage if they can't get into the fields to gather the crops," said Baxter.

According to Baxter, the real problem with all of this rain is the how quickly it came. It could have been beneficial if spread over time.

"If you spread your rainfall out over the year, it's a much more usable commodity," said Baxter. "But with the way it fell here, and especially north of us, they're having some pretty serious flooding problems."

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